Metal container with tear out metal tab and straw



METAL CONTAINER WITH TEAR OUT METAL TAB AND STRAW Filed March 15, 1964 Aug. 2, 1966 w. A. PUGH, SR

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 William A; Pug/2,57.

1N VEN TOR.

1966 w. A. PUGH, SR 3,263,855

METAL CONTAINER WITH TEAR OUT METAL TAB AND STRAW Filed March 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'I I William A. Pug/l, 8r.

United States Patent 3,263,855 METAL CONTAINER WITH TEAR OUT METAL TAB AND ST RAW William A. Pugh, Sr., 5200 S. Harper Ave., Chicago, Ill. Filed Mar. 13, 1964. Ser. No. 351,665 8 Claims. (Cl. 220-54) The present invention generally relates to a container structure having a straw incorporated therein and includes a lid having a pull out or tear out strip incorporated therein together with the lever attached to the strip for operating the same and a flexible straw attached to the tear out strip and confined within the container until the tear out strip is removed thereby causing the upper end portion of the straw to move outwardly through the opening defined by the tear out strip when it is removed so that the upper end portion'of the straw may extend upwardly beyond the lid of the container for access thereto so that the liquid contents of the container may be consumed through the straw in a conventional siphoning manner.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container of metal constructed of a material, such as aluminum, which is rust-proof thereby eliminating any possibility of rusting when the lid is cut or scored on the top thereof. The lid and tear out strip incorporated therein is basically similar to the lid and tear out strip presently available commercially and being manufactured by Aluminum Corporation of America. However, in the present invention, the operating lever for the precut tear out strip is connected to the narrow inner end of the tear out strip in a different manner which eliminates the provision of apertures through the tear out strip such as employed in the riveting operation in the commercially available pull top container. Additionally, the outer end portion of the tear out strip has a supporting ring attached to the undersurface thereof for engaging the folded flexible plastic straw disposed within the container so that the upper end portion of the straw will be moved outwardly through the opening defined by the tear out strip when it is removed thereby providing an eifective means for .gaining access to the contents of the container.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a container with a lid thereon having a tear out strip and lever attached thereto at the inner or proximal end and a ring attach-ed to the undersurface at the outer or distal end thereof With the lever and ring being attached in generally the same manner for eliminating any apertures through the tear out strip.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a container in accordance with the preceding objects in which the supporting ring for the straw is disposed adjacent a 90 bend in the straw for retaining the straw in position beneath the lid whereby the ring will keep the straw from dancing or vibrating out of registry with the opening whereby the tear out strip will effectively pull the straw through the slit in the can when the strip is pulled from the can for opening the container. The ring not only serves to guide and pull the straw out through the Opening in the can lid but also serves to straighten the straw so that the passageway therethrough will be opened thereby eliminating any contacts of the fingers with the straw and removing any possibility of contamination of the contents in the container such as may occur if the fingers are used to assist the straw through the aperture in the container lid. Further, the present invention enables the contents of the container to be consumed without pouring the contents into a cup or other container which, of course, requires another container and also allows the escape of some of the gases 3,263,855 Patented August 2, 1966 present in carbonated drinks. The present invention has particular utility in vending machines, for outdoor parties and other uses where it is desirable to have metal containers but objectionable to carry a separate opener which is always subject to loss, misplacement or the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container having a lid with a pull out strip incorporated therein together with a straw attached to the pull out strip that may be constructed of similar plastic material with the entire lid being constructed of plastic material if desired. In lieu of this, the lid and tear-out strip may be constructed of thin tin with the entire lid being subsequently coated with an air impervious plastic material or similar material for excluding air from the partially scored tear-out strip for preventing oxidation thereof.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a container with a tear-out strip having a handle or lever attached thereto in which the handle is encapsulated in a plastic material in order to eliminate the danger of cutting ones finger due to engagement with the side edges of the lever during the opening operation.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a container having a tear-out strip therein in which the container lid is provided with a ridge extending substantially throughout the periphery of the opening or substantially throughout the periphery for rigidifying the periphery of the opening to facilitate the removal of the tear-out strip and at the same time provide a dam for preventing entry of foreign material that may be disposed on the top surface of the can lid outwardly of the tear-out strip thus increasing the hygienic facilities of the invention.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a container and straw combination which is simple in construction, easy to use, effective for its particular purposes and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and opeuation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspecive view of the container of the present invention in sealed condition;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE 1 but with the container open and the straw orientated in upstanding position;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view illustrating the orientation of the straw when in use;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the construction of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a detailed sectional view illustrating the can lid with the tear-out strip incorporated therein prior to association of the operating lever therewith;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 5 illustrating the operating lever orientated in position on the can lid;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view similar to FIGURES 5 and 6 illustrating the manner in which the operating lever is bnadecl to the pull-out strip;

FIGURE 8 is a detailed sectional View taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 8-8 of FIGURE 4 illustrating the structural arrangement of the pull out strip, the lever, the straw and the ring for retaining the straw in place;

FIGURE 9 is is a perspective view of the assembly of the pull out strip and lever;

FIGURE 10 is a bottom perspective view of the operating lever prior 10 its attachment to the pullout strip; and

FIGURE 11 is a perspective view of the supporting ring for the straw prior to its connection with the pull out strip.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the metal container of the present invention is generally designated by the numeral and includes a peripheral wall 12 of cylindrical construction together with a bottom 14 connected thereto by any suitable sealing structure 16 conventional in the metal can industry. The upper end of the wall 16 is closed with a closure lid 18 also sealed to the upper edge of the wall 12 by a sealing rim 20 which is conventional in the metal container industry. The lid 18 is constructed of aluminum or other similar metal that is rust-proof and will not rust when stored. Incorporated into the lid 18 is a pull out or tear ou-t strip 22 which is an integral part of the lid 18 but which is separable therefrom along a scored line 24 which is scored through the major portion of the thickness of the lid 18. When the pull out strip 22 is removed, an opening 26 is defined in the lid 18 through which the contents 28 in the container 10 may be consumed. The tear out strip 22 and its association with the can lid 18 may be conventional and is currently commercially available. The shape of the opening and the tear out strip which defines the opening may be varied but generally includes a diametrically extending outer portion which terminates generally at the center of the lid and may be considered a proximal end of the tear out strip while the outer end or distal end of the tear out strip is orientated adjacent the sealing rim 20 and is of greater lateral dimension than the proximal end portion of the strip.

A flexible plastic sipper straw 30 is incorporated into the container 10 of the present invention with the straw being striped foran attractive appearance and also being preferably constructed of plastic material capable of returning to its straight line position with the passageway therethrough. The plastic straw has memory characteristicsand resilient characteristics such as when the straw is orientated in the container, a 90 bend 32 is incorporated therein and this bend will straighten out when the upper portion of the straw 30 is moved out through the opening 26 in the container lid 18. The lower portion of the straw is disposed alongside of the peripheral wall 12 v with the upper end portion extending diametrically of the straw in alignment with the opening 26 in order that the length of the straw 30 may be as long as possible within the dimensional limits of the container.

Attached to the proximal end of the tear out strip 22 is an operating lever.34 which actually forms a handle for initially disrupting or tearing out the proximal end of the strip 22 and then the lever is used to tear out the remainder of the strip 22. The lever or handle 34 is provided with an upwardly extending tip or end portion 36 orientated in spaced relation to the lid 18 so that the thumb can be inserted under the lever 34 for elevating the lever for rupturing the score line 24 around the proximal end of the tear strip 22. A novel connection between the inner or proximal end of the lever 34 and the inner or proximal end of the tear strip 22 is provided and this includes the initial provision of a depending socket or well 38 formed in the proximal end of the tear strip 22. The bottom 40 of the socket 38 is provided with an upwardly extending roundly curved central portion 42 as illustrated in FIGURE 5. The lever 34 is provided with a plurality of depending tongues 44 which define generally a cylindrical sleeve that is split at circumferentially spaced points. The tongues 44 are telescoped into the socket 38 when the lever 34 is assembled with the tear strip 22. Then by exerting clamping force against the top of the lever 34 and the bottom of the socket 38, the bottom of the socket 38 as well as the side wall thereof will be flattened outwardly as illustrated in FIGURE 7 whereby the tongues 44 which have become entrapped between the upwardly extending portion 42 of the bottom 40 of the socket 38 and the outer wall thereof will also be formed outwardly as illustrated partially in FIGURE 7 and as completely orientated in FIGURE 8 whereby the lever 34 has been attached to the proximal end of the tear out or pull out strip 22 in a secure manner without the necessity of providing any aperture through the tear out strip 22 for the purpose of subsequently riveting the lever 34 thereto such as is the conventional practice and with it being subject to leakage and possible contamination of the contents of the container. With the present construction, the lever 34 is secured to the proximal end of the tear out strip 22 with there being no aperture or hole whatsoever extending through the tear out strip.

The sipper straw 30 adjacent the bend 32 is supported by a ring 46 which may be of annular or similar configuration as illustrated with the ring 46 including outwardly bending tabs 48 thereon which are received in a well or socket formed upwardly from the tearout strip 22. The well or socket is designated by numeral 50 and includes an annular groove 52 receiving the outwardly bent tabs 48 on the ring 46. While the ring 46 has been illustrated with a slightly flattened top, the ring may be completely annular in configuration with there being a plurality of attaching tabs 48 struck therefrom in any suitable manner. There may be two or more attaching tabs 48 and the manner of assembling the ring 46 to the tear-out strip 22 is the same as the manner of securing the lever 34 to the tear-out strip 22 thereby eliminating any necessity to form holes through the tear-out strip. The ring 46 is orientated so that it will prevent dancing or shifting of the straw 30 so that it will be retained in alignment with the opening 26 so that as the tear-out strip is removed by lifting it from the proximal ends towards the distal end, the ring 46 will upwardly flex the upper portion of the stnaw 30 so that the straw will be pulled and guided out through the aperture 26 and the continued movement of the ring 46 until the tear-out strip has been completely severed will serve to straighten the straw to a generally straight line position. If desired, the tear-out strip may be completely removed in a conventional manner and the ring 46 slid upwardly over the upper end portion of the'straw. On the other hand, the tear-out strip may be attached to the container lid by a very small portion of the score line 24 adjacent the rim so that the ring will serve to stabilize the straw in position in the opening 26 thus retaining the straw in a constant relationship between the containerduring use of the straw when consuming the contents 28.

It is pointed out that the thicknesses of the various components illustrated in FIGURES 5-11 are exaggerated for purposes of clarity. Moreover, the connecting operation may be carried out in a production machine. If materials other than aluminum are used, the upper sur face of the lid should be provided with a coating of sealing material to prevent oxidation along the score line. This will eliminate any toxicity problem which may be encountered. For example, there is presently commercially available a thin tin material used in manufacturing cans of this nature and if a partial score line is formed therein, a coating of plastic material 54 is provided on the lirl 18 as illustrated in FIGURE 8 and in other figures of the drawings. This thin tin is only .005 inch thick and the plastic coating on the top of the lid prevents oxidation along the score line.

The lever 34 is provided with an encapulating sleeve 56 of plastic material somewhat in the nature of a pillow case which encloses the lever and serves to prevent injury to the fingers while pulling upwardly on the lever which sometimes occurs when the fingers slip on the lever during the opening operation. The tip end of the plastic sleeve 56 is free and upturned as at 58 thus forming a pull up pad for operating the sleeve for enabling a grasp to be easily obtained on the tab 58 and subsequently the lever 34.

The plastic sleeve 56 over the elevator or lever 34 may be mounted thereon in any suitable manner such as by shrinking the sleeve in situ by employing a heat shrinkable plastic thus providing a tight fit for the plastic material.

The can lid 18 is also provided with a ridge 60 formed therein in peripheral encircling relation to the opening 26 and this ridge may be continuous throughout the periphery of the opening or may be omitted when the lever 34 is attached to the tear-out strip. This ridge provides rigidity to the area of the lid peripherally of the opening thereby providing for a stronger flexing breakage of the score line when initially pulling up on the lever 34. This structure provides a clean tear and prevents possible cutting injury since it prevents the formation of sharp edges, especially if the lid is covered with plastic material. The ridge also forms a dam to prevent entry of foreign material into the opening in the event dust or the like is resting on the top surface of the lid which is not unusual. The depending ring and the straw associated therewith serve as a foam breaker and the ring serves to retain the straw in place. Also it will eliminate any preset kink in the straw by virtue of pulling the straw upwardly to a substantially straight line condition when the can is opened.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction, and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A container including a peripheral wall, a lid having a tear out strip therein, handle means attached to said strip for enabling removal thereof, land a straw disposed Within the container with the straw including an upper portion disposed generally perpendicular to a lower portion, and means connecting the upper portion of the straw to the undersurface of the tear out strip so that when the tear out strip is removed from the lid, the upper end portion of the straw will be guided and moved through the opening defined by the removal of the tear out strip, said means connecting the straw to the tear out strip including a member at least partially encircling the straw, and a socket formed in the undersurface of the tear out strip, and projecting means on the encircling member for securing the encircling member to the tear out strip for movement therewith during the arcuate bending of the tear out strip thereby pulling the upper end portion of the straw outwardly through the opening and guiding it to the straight line condition.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said handle means for the tear out strip includes a lever member lying alongside of the lid and having an end portion attached to an end portion of said strip, said end portion of the strip having said depending socket formed therein and provided with a hillock in the bottom, said lever member having a depending projection extending into the socket and adapted to spread outwardly when the depending projection and socket are compressed thereby interlocking the handle with the tear out strip without forming holes in the strip.

3. In a container structure, a metal lid having a tear out strip incorporated therein, a handle attached to the tear out strip, said tear out strip having an end portion with a depending socket formed therein capable of being deformed and flattened laterally outwardly, said handle being constructed of sheet material and having a depending projection on an end portion thereof for reception in the socket and capable of being flattened outwardly whereby the depending projection and socket are flattened outwardly for rigidly securing the handle to the tear out strip without forming holes in the strip, said projection on said handle including a plurality of tongues having free lower ends for spreading outwardly, the bottom of said socket in the strip having a hillock formed therein for initially spreading the tongues outwardly.

4. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein said handle is in the form of an elongated flat lever associated adjacent the lid, said lever having the end thereof remote from the projection encapsulated in plastic material for preventing the fingers from being cut and fingernails from being broken during pulling of the lever upwardly for removing the tear strip.

5. The structure as defined in claim 4 together with a depending ring attached to said tear strip in remote relation to the socket therein for receiving a straw disposed in angular orientation within a container on which the lid is mounted.

6. The structure as defined in claim 5 wherein said tear out strip includes an upwardly extending projection defining a downwardly opening socket, said straw receiving ring including an upwardly extending projection in the form of a plurality of tongues having laterally spread free ends received within the downwardly opening socket so that the tongues will spread outwardly when the socket on the tear strip and the projection on the ring are compressed thereby interlocking the straw receiving ring with the tear strip.

7. The structure a defined in claim 6 wherein the periphery of the tear out strip is defined by a raised rib continuous around the tear out strip except where the handle extends laterally from the tear out strip, a score line defining the opening and disposed closely adjacent the inner circumference of the rib thereby rigidifying the area of the lid adjacent the score line as the score line is being ruptured by pulling on the handle.

8. The structure as defined in claim 7 wherein the entire surface area of the lid exposed outwardly of a container with which the lid is associated is covered with a plastic protective coating to prevent oxidation and consequent deterioration of the score line.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 195,604 7/ 1963 Fraze D5826 1,554,115 9/1925 Miller 21546 2,112,231 3/ 1938 Speidel 220--54 2,450,244 9/ 1948 Lynch 2297 2,844,267 7/ 1958 Petriccione.

3,151,766 10/ 1964 Henchert 22054 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

G. T. HALL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CONTAINER INCLUDING A PERIPHERAL WALL, A LID HAVING A TEAR OUT STRIP THEREIN, HANDLE MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID STRIP FOR ENABLING REMOVAL THEREOF, AND A STRAW DISPOSED WITHIN THE CONTAINER WITH THE STRAW INCLUDING AN UPPER PORTION DISPOSED GENERALLY PERPENDICULAR TO A LOWER PORTION, AND MEANS CONNECTING THE UPPER PORTION OF THE STRAW TO THE UNDERSURFACE OF THE TEAR OUT STRIP SO THAT WHEN THE TEAR OUT STRIP IS REMOVED FROM THE LID, THE UPPER END PORTION OF THE STRAW WILL BE GUIDED AND MOVED THROUGH THE OPENING DEFINED BY THE REMOVAL OF THE TEAR OUT STRIP, SAID MEANS CONNECTING THE STRAW TO THE TEAR OUT STRIP INCLUDING A MEMBER AT LEAST PARTIALLY ENCIRCLING THE STRAW, AND A SOCKET FORMED IN THE UNDERSURFACE OF THE TEAR OUT STRIP, AND PROJECTING MEANS ON THE ENCIRCLING MEMBER FOR SECURING THE ENCIRCLING MEMBER TO THE TEAR OUT STRIP FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH DURING THE ARCUATE BENDING OF THE TEAR OUT STRIP THEREBY PULLING THE UPPER END PORTION OF THE STRAW OUTWARDLY THROUGH THE OPENING AND GUIDING IT TO THE STRAIGHT LINE CONDITION. 